Cruz says budget is enough to fix Muni

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, June 18, 1998

1998-06-18 04:00:00 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Muni honcho Emilio Cruz says the $31.5 million Mayor Brown has proposed for the transit system allows the agency to fix its problems with "no excuses."

Cruz was at a Finance Committee hearing Wednesday to defend his mayor-approved budget from nearly $4 million in cuts proposed by the supervisor's Budget Analyst Harvey Rose.

While the mayor submitted his budget to the supervisors June 1, the board has control of The City's budget and can add or subtract to the spending plan.

Under repeated questioning by Finance chairwoman Mabel Teng and Supervisor Barbara Kaufman, Cruz was backed into a corner. The supervisors took turns asking the Muni chief what he considered full funding and whether the amount proposed would allow him to fix Muni.

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"With this budget," Cruz said, "there should be no excuses."

Later, in an interview, Teng said, Cruz's "no excuses" admission may have persuaded her to reject Rose's recommended cuts and fully fund the transit system.

"If he makes the commitment, I could recommend full funding," Teng said. "My inclination is we might have to give him a chance."

But Teng added that her recommendation hinged on a Friday morning meeting between Cruz and Rose's staff to resolve the debate over the budget analyst's proposed Muni cuts.

Rose has proposed a $20.85 million increase of Muni's budget, which the budget analyst said would still allow the transit agency to provide good service. He said the budget included a "surplus," a description to which Cruz took offense.

"For him to go up there and say I've got a pockets of money sitting there is insane," Cruz fumed in the hallway after an exchange with Rose in the hearing room.

A richer budget&lt;

Muni's proposed budget for 1998-99 is nearly $24.9 million more than last year's original budget and $18.1 million more than the revised budget.

Among Rose's recommended cuts are:

*The approval of 69.25 new positions, rather than the proposed 73.5.

*Hiring nine transit supervisors rather than the 12 proposed in the budget and assign them to randomly selected posts instead of fixed locations.

*Reducing $24,000 from the training budget by eliminating a new cross-training program for special managers, supervisors and employees. Rose's cut would leave $52,400 more money than last year for training.

*Reducing Muni's overtime budget by $1.4 million because new employees will fill the runs currently being missed without having to call in drivers on overtime.

But Cruz contended that he will not have a full complement of drivers until the end of the budget year, which will not fill the gaps and reduce the need for overtime immediately.

Training takes time &lt;

"I don't understand the logic of his equation," Cruz said afterward. "I'll still be spending the overtime with the first 50 to 100 operators hired. In the middle of the year, I see a reduction of overtime. You don't realize savings at the beginning of the year."

But Cruz insisted that his budget remaining intact was worth fighting for and would continue to scrap for it.

"This will fund all of the programs we can do this year," Cruz responded.

Then Kaufman took her turn.

"I don't want to hear from you during the year that you need additional money," she said.

Cruz said the funding would allow him to fill 200 vacancies and employ 150 more operators to fill normal attrition during the year. He said there should be no missed runs because of a driver shortage.

But he added that the agency would remain challenged by the age of the fleet, which will be replaced with newer stock over the next four to five years.

Questions on maintenance &lt;

Kaufman asked about maintenance and the fact that no additional dollars were proposed for that division.

Cruz said he was satisfied with his maintenance staff and that an additional $4 million was added to the budget to buy parts, which he said meant that buses could be back on the streets in four hours rather than off three weeks awaiting a part to come in.

Still not satisfied, Kaufman laid out the scenario and asked Cruz to react.

"If we consider restoring some of these cuts, I don't want any excuse why you aren't performing. Muni and fixing Muni is the number one priority. With this budget you will finally fix Muni. I want your reaction."

Cruz's "no excuses" pledge followed.

He acknowledged the supervisors had forced him into a corner.

"If I have to back into that corner to get my money, I will," Cruz said outside the hearing room. "It just means it'll be another hard year." &lt;